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Thursday – September 15th

The Terrible Sickness of Ownership

In this day and age, we talk little of ownership. It is presumed. In fact, from the earliest age, we proclaim, “mine!” And that possessive nature never really seems to let go unless we have some tragedy or crisis that exposes our illness.

A.W. Tozer in The Pursuit of God says it this way:

There can be no real doubt that this possessive clinging to things is one of the most harmful habits in the life. Because it is so natural, it is rarely recognized for the evil that it is. But its out workings are tragic.

We are often hindered from giving up our treasures to the Lord out of fear for their safety. This is especially true when those treasures are loved relatives and friends. But we need have no such fears. Our Lord came not to destroy but to save. Everything is safe which we commit to Him, and nothing is really safe which is not so committed. . . .

The Christian who is alive enough to know himself even slightly will recognize the symptoms of this this possession malady, and will grieve to find them in his own heart. If the longing after God is strong enough within him, he will want to do something about the matter.

The possession malady confuses us into thinking that it’s things that are important—not God, not people, not God’s Word.

About Bill High

Bill is CEO of the National Christian Foundation Heartland. He works with families, individual givers, and financial advisers to share the foundation’s message regarding biblical generosity and charitable giving. He is the co-author with David Green of Giving It All Away and Getting It All Back Again: The Way of Living Generously: www.givingitallawaybook.com. » Learn More

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What does it mean to be successful? To live a meaningful life? To live a life of significance? The answer to these questions is surprisingly simple: Family, Legacy, and Generosity. My focus is on helping people live a meaningful life through these big ideas.